27 years ago Steve Thompson walked into Media Sound in New York City. Guns ‘N Roses had already recorded the tracks at Rumbo Records in Canoga Park (north of Los Angeles), so Steve’s job was to mix the record “and make it as loud as possible,” Steve jokingly says. The result was “Appetite for Destruction,” the biggest selling debut record in the history of music. Today, it’s certified diamond in the U.S., nearly double-diamond, with over18 million records sold stateside and 30 million sold worldwide.

Over the years, Steve has worked with a wide swath of artists, from as-yet undiscovered rising stars like GNR to the biggest bands and artists on the planet, like KISS, Metallica, KORN and Soundgarden. As a producer, arranger, writer, mixer & re-mixer, his work has often been heralded as innovative and revolutionary, yet contemporary and timeless, with all the big records withstanding the test of time and still played on radio. Unlike some celebrated producers whose names will go unmentioned, Steve still prepares like a monster long before he ever steps into the studio, and always attends all of the recording sessions, living and breathing the unforgettable experience of creating a new record with his artists.

Recently, Steve walked studio veteran Bobby Ferrari’s extraordinary Vegas View Studios in Las Vegas, which has recently claimed stake to a reputation as today’s rock and roll capital of the world with more than 150 rock acts playing live on any given night. Steve was fresh off his induction into the RockGodz Hall of Fame several nights earlier, held at reality TV and rock celebrity Danny Koker’s Vamp’d Rock Club. And yes, Steve was here to mix a rock record – but this time for rising hard rock band FOUNDRY, fronted by rock vocals virtuoso Kelly Keeling, whose chops include the legendary Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Baton Rouge and dozens more.

With many years of experience in a wide variety of genres and a large collection of Grammys to his credit – 7 in all – Steve has never shied from taking on bands that are not yet household names. If all goes well, FOUNDRY will be much more than another notch in his belt, as they are soon to release some absolutely killer rock songs in the vein of Godsmack, Disturbed and papa Roach, in a world of music where everything – in Steve’s words – “has gone to shit!”

“Right away I was reminded of the days of yore,” said Steve. “FOUNDRY has this singer Kelly Keeling, who is a virtuoso, monster rock vocalist in the school of a young Robert Plant from Led Zepplin, and the songs resonated like the great songs from the ‘80s but with a contemporary, modern rock edge. I dug into it at Bobby’s killer studio with engineer Matt Breuning, who has chops with The Killers. Matt follows the Mutt Lang school of engineering and at first I thought we’d totally clash — but we didn’t. We meshed and made an explosive record. I’m very proud of Marc Brattin, the drummer who created the FOUNDRY project, for sticking to his guns and coming up with some great new music in an era where everything is a sellout.”

As a celebrated musical chameleon, Steve has owned many genres, not just rock. He has adapted to and mastered Electronica, Dub Step, Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, Soul, Rock & Reggae, mixing and/or producing everything from “And Justice for All” for Metallica and “Freak on a Leash” for KORN,” to “Runaround” for Blues Traveler, “Open Your Heart” for Madonna, and “People Get Ready” for Ziggy Marley.

“When I get in the studio,” Steve says, “I’m 16 years old again. I love taking rock to new heights. I don’t want to do what’s been done. I want to find the essence of a band and bring out the best of it. With FOUNDRY, I think I’ve done that.”

FOUNDRY’s debut, self-titled CD “Foundry” drops January 7, 2015. The single, “Vegas Baby!,” is available now for free at FoundryRocks.com.

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Band:

Official site: FoundryRocks.com

FOUNDRY is an American Rock Band from Las Vegas featuring James Fucci (guitar), Kelly Keeling (vocals) and Marc Brattin (drums), with special guests Scott Griffin (bass), Stoney Curtis (solo guitar). World Release of their debut record, FOUNDRY, mixed by 7x Grammy winer Steve Thompson and engineered by Matthew Breunig, is set for January 5, 2015